"Ideal" Electric Guitar & Amp Combo....

[RP]

I should preface that I don't consider myself an electric guitar guy, and my typical relationship with them is very cyclical. However, I've realized that owning an electric guitar and amp is something I'll continue to do and enjoy on an on-again/ off-again basis. My question to you folks is what have you found to be YOUR ideal combination of an electric guitar and amp. I'm somewhat biased by having grown up in the age of Fender so that automatically imposes a qualifier on my choices. However, even with that parameter, many possibilities remain. Please note that this is not intended to be a "What should I get?" thread as I've found my ideal combination, a Stratocaster Eric Clapton "Blackie" and a Blues Junior NOS amp. I know that Noiseless pickups aren't everybody's cup of tea, but I enjoy being able to play without the 60 cycle hum in that background. Obviously everybody's ideal combination will be different. Let's make it an arbitrary budget of $3000 but don't feel restrained by that....

[pieterh]

The classic combination is surely a Fender Strat or Tele through a Fender Tube amp. For 3000 (I think, I’m not too sure of real world US prices) you could be looking at the new professional range Strat or Tele together with (for example) a 65 Deluxe Reverb. The only downside with the 65 DRRI is it doesn’t distort easily at real world volumes whereas the Hot Rod models (for example) have a high gain channel. On the other hand if you prefer to create your distortion effects with pedals as I do then the Deluxe Reverb is one of the best amps around, the clean sound is heavenly and is amazing when pushed too.

I started with a Strat and came to Tele later so I am not the best one to tell you which of the two is the ideal first electric but once you decide which suits your playing and music style either would be great!

[perttime]

For the guitar, a Tele - Strat hybrid comes close for me. Tele kind of hardware with Strat type body for balance and comfort. The pickups preferably a bit on the "warm" side, Vintage Hot, or something.



Amps depend on where you want to play and what kind of sounds you want. I mainly want to be where soft playing or turning the guitar volume knob back a little keeps you clean, and you get some crunch at full guitar volume and playing slightly more forcefully. There's a number of ways to accomplish that. I don't like to use pedals, so I want the amp, or preamp feeding into powered speakers, to accomplish that.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by RP

I should preface that I don't consider myself an electric guitar guy, and my typical relationship with them is very cyclical. However, I've realized that owning an electric guitar and amp is something I'll continue to do and enjoy on an on-again/ off-again basis. My question to you folks is what have you found to be YOUR ideal combination of an electric guitar and amp. I'm somewhat biased by having grown up in the age of Fender so that automatically imposes a qualifier on my choices. However, even with that parameter, many possibilities remain. Please note that this is not intended to be a "What should I get?" thread as I've found my ideal combination, a Stratocaster Eric Clapton "Blackie" and a Blues Junior NOS amp. I know that Noiseless pickups aren't everybody's cup of tea, but I enjoy being able to play without the 60 cycle hum in that background. Obviously everybody's ideal combination will be different. Let's make it an arbitrary budget of $3000 but don't feel restrained by that....

Isn't that kinda hard to play with those cardboard thingies stuck under the strings ?
That looks to me like a great combination and I could be perfectly happy with such a set up. Congrats.

Being re- new to electric after 47 years of strictly acoustic in 52 years of playing guitar . I was not constrained by notions of what make or model of guitar I wanted to get. That said, I did start off thinking about either a Fender Strat or Tele and Fender tube amp. (with about that same budget in mind ) and had after playing a number of Fenders offerings pretty much decided on a Fender American Elite Strat .(noiseless pickups also)

That is until on Black Friday 2016, I went to my local independent Guitar store and they happen to have a PRS CE 24 on sale for $1499, once I played it --- I bought it right then and there.
Then in another on another sale situation I ended up with a Supro combo and additional cab

So for now it is this combo ( I do know that the CE 24 is a lifetime keeper for me) A PRS CE 24 and a Supro TiTan 1X10 50 watt tube amp and 1X12 sealed back Cabinet.




Except !! I stumbled on this amp on craigslist and honestly I could be happy with it as well for the "Ideal Guitar Amp combo." ..Mesa LoneStar Special multi watt 5,15, 30 ---1x12 combo



But now I am thinking I will get an ABY splitter and that a two amp "wet dry" system will be the "ideal Combo" curse this E-Gas

[s2y]

I'd probably go with my Carr Rambler and Ibanez 7 string since I play a lot of different genres.



I just need to replace position 3 with a better single coil-ish sound at the bridge.

[DukeX]

My "Ideal" combo has five parts, Lol:

'62 Tele AVRI
Epi ES335 Dot w/SD Antiquities

5e3 Tweed Deluxe
Vox AC4HW1
Princeton Reverb

Pick your pairing.

[muscmp]

fender american vintage or professional 50s or 60s strat with a tweed 57 custom deluxe.

play music!

[Tahitijack]

My ideal combo changes depending on all the usual variables. Generally, if called right now to play a gig this evening with my instrumental surf music band:

Fender Classic Player 60s Strat
Fender Deluxe VM amp

For a small gig, especially indoors
Fender Classic Player 60s Strat
Fender Mustang III

[Johnny K]

Hard to go wrong with this combo.

[BoneDigger]

Fender telecaster and a Fender Twin Reverb.

[redir]

A Gibson ES-335 into a Fender Twin. Pure joy.

[Gordon Currie]

Carvin (now Kiesel) H2 Allan Holdsworth signature guitar. Light and chambered body for increased resonance. Wide and flat fingerboard radius. I feel it sits in the middle between a Strat and a Les Paul, and I get the best (to me) of both.

Mesa Boogie Studio 22 1-12" combo. Creamy overdrive always lurking around the corner, cleans are not pristine by any means but SO MUSICAL.

(I know Fender Twins get a lot of love here and elsewhere, but I found them useless for playing anything but squeaky clean tones. Trying to get power stage overdrive was an exercise in frustration. I used to own one and when I finally decided to sell it, I sold it for almost nothing just to get rid of it quickly.)

[rockabilly69]

Les Paul into a vintage 5e3 Tweed Deluxe, Tele into a small vintage Supro.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

Carvin (now Kiesel) H2 Allan Holdsworth signature guitar. Light and chambered body for increased resonance. Wide and flat fingerboard radius. I feel it sits in the middle between a Strat and a Les Paul, and I get the best (to me) of both.



Mesa Boogie Studio 22 1-12" combo. Creamy overdrive always lurking around the corner, cleans are not pristine by any means but SO MUSICAL.



(I know Fender Twins get a lot of love here and elsewhere, but I found them useless for playing anything but squeaky clean tones. Trying to get power stage overdrive was an exercise in frustration. I used to own one and when I finally decided to sell it, I sold it for almost nothing just to get rid of it quickly.)

I figure you’d appreciate my baby. It’s not as cool as the Carvin, but a bit on the rare side still.

[BahPa]

Easy question to answer. A Fender Blues Jr. with a Fender Thiniine (2 humbuckers) plugged into it. Pure delight !!!